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Capitalism in America by Greenspan and Wooldridge is pretty much a must.

Do you have any personal recommendations for communism and socialism?

Though it’s fiction, Atlas Shrugged is a classic for portraying many of these archetypes in a philosophical and practical application.

I’ve read that. It is from the perspective that capitalism is the savior. I was wondering if you had any recommendations on actual socialist and communist writings that you have read?

Anything Pro communism or socialism?

I would recommend the following: Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy by Joseph Schumpeter. The State and Revolution by Lenin Anarchism and Anarcho-syndicalism by Rudolf Rocker

Awesome, thank you! I loved Joseph Schumpeter and recommend him to everyone. Just curious, why not Adam Smith for capitalism?

I would describe myself as a struggling anarchist. Anarchist for years but starting see the practicality of many socialist doctrines. Since I believe that Capitalism is one of the worst and speak against it, I get labeled many things other than anarchist. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I’m getting conflicting answers online, maybe you could tell me: What exactly is communism, and what is socialism, and what (if any) are the differences between the two?

I don’t know, I was hoping you could recommend some books to me. You sounded like you were well read in all of them.

I did recommend some. I’ve read some economic and historical books but nothing specifically advocating for the benefits or positives of communism/socialism tbh. Everything I’m aware of references events such as the Holodomor in Soviet Ukraine in the early 1930s, for example, as a caution against collectivism policies/economics. I was just wondering if there was some other version or definition of communism/socialism I could look into as it’s difficult to find books that historically defend those ideas.

Albert Einstein Why Socialism Rosa Luxembourg Reform or Revolution Richard Wolff Understanding Socialism and Understanding Marxism Also Adam Smith lays out flaws with Capitalism in many writing Joseph Schumpeter has lots of good stuff Lenin The State and Revolution

Nice, I’ll check these out. I’m of the opinion that capitalism and socialism/communism both fail in practice and concentrate power at the top because the incentive structures are ultimately corrupted by the control of the money. If the money itself isn’t free and neutral, societal incentives in any system cannot align for the benefit of the majority. The Lords of Easy Money is a solid read…I don’t think any system can be properly or fairly implemented without a sound, neutral, decentralized money first.

We definitely need bitcoin for society to function better. However, any system that focuses on profit by any means will always centralize power/money and is ultimately corrupt from the start. I myself am a reluctant anarchist and despise anyone having control over anything. So socialism and communism make me cautious do to the authority structure needed. But, I can see a blend of all three capitalism, communism, and socialism being the inevitable solution. With it leaning heavier on a more socialist like structure. #bitcoin , socialism, and communism were/are efforts to control greed from corrupting everything and steam rolling humanity.

The umbrella issue is human nature. It’s in our nature to hoard, to plan, to prepare for bad times or bad weather. This becomes greed when one has enough resources to continue accumulation, it’s difficult to stop. It’s also in our nature to be covetous of what others have accumulated, because we want it for the same reasons they accumulated it. In complex systems like modern economies these behaviors manifest themselves in the obvious ways that we see. There are those that have accumulated far more than they will ever need for one lifetime, and those that are covetous of that because they don’t have anything to sustain their own life. Greed will never be eliminated from the human condition, neither will envy. I believe sound, neutral money brings those two conditions in to balance naturally and without any central or collective planning because there are natural limitations to the money supply and an equilibrium of incentives can be achieved. Simply put, free markets with sound money would result in the best of all systems, it would incentivize work and innovation, saving and planning for the future, preservation of property rights, and greedy/corrupt participants or endeavors would naturally get exposed and punished to the extent it would disincentivize that behavior. Keep in mind that this is simply my opinion and I’m just some dumb fucking guy trying to make sense of what I observe. I’m not looking for a fight or anything.

In your second paragraph, you are wrong with your assumption. I don’t want what billionaires have…I DONT want people in need do to billionaires exploiting. There will never be free markets along side property rights. Unless I’m free to take from billionaires without legal repercussions, it is not a free market. I HOPE sound money will take away incentives and highlight/sift out corruption and greed…but just because we want it to doesn’t mean it will. You are way smarter than most I engage with and don’t resort to ad hominems…that brings me hope.

It’s likely that SOMEONE has SOMETHING or can produce SOMETHING that you as an individual need or desire. The beauty of sound money operating in a free market is that you can rightly pursue that with your own efforts and talents, you don’t need to take it from anyone. When I say “free market” I’m referring to a free market economy; rational human behavior under the influence of scarcity and trade-offs (not influenced by policy or threats) by way of exchanging goods and services with one another. Not anarchism, just to clarify. Human beings are very good at properly orienting themselves when they live in societies/communities with a sound moral incentive structure, a sense of justice, and the expectation that the fruits of their labor won’t be unjustly seized or confiscated. They’re very bad at orienting themselves when they have no way to save or plan for the future, have no expectation of justice or property rights, and when the moral incentives are skewed to favor the greedy and corrupt. Some of the greatest human prosperity, achievements, and innovations have occurred during eras of human history when sound/hard money was being widely utilized. I believe it would solve the issues we are discussing. There is precedent for it.

Oh absolutely, there are many things I would rather trade or pay someone else to do. But I can pursue those types of things in any market, doesn’t have to be free. Do you have an example in history of a “free market” that you are referring to? How can you have a free market, with property rights, without enforcement? Societies and communities function very well when they know that their labor is fairly compensated and all their needs are met. Humans are social animals and love working together to achieve the same goal. However, history has taught us that when one group of people hoard resources, this always ends badly for both parties…humans don’t like injustice. Fortunately for us, history and present times has shown us that for certain capitalism is NOT the best system.